History
This suit was built by Tony Stark for Jim Rhodes after a fatal injury in combat cost him his limbs and part of his face,[1] and it doubled as life support for his body.[2] Using this armor, Rhodey resumed the War Machine mantle and served as an instructor at Camp Hammond for the 50-State Initiative.[3]
Due to this suit's intentional lack of any components of Starktech, it remained unaffected by a cybernetic attack by the Skrulls during the opening salvo of their invasion on Earth which targeted all technology made by Iron Man. Because of this, Rhodes managed to help fight the invading Skrull Army in Tony's stead.[4] Afterward, Rhodes stopped using this armor in favor of the War Machine Armor Model 4.[5]
Properties[]
Overview[]
The main purpose of this armor is to serve as life support for Jim Rhodes. While he possessed cybernetic limbs beneath the suit, he required to be connected to its chestplate and helmet to survive.[2] As a failsafe in case his technology became compromised on a worldwide level, Tony Stark outfitted this War Machine Armor wtih no Starktech. Its hardware is a combination of bleeding edge cybertech and discontinued equipment from when Obadiah Stane ran Stark Industries. Because of this, the armor is completely independent from all outside systems. It can interact with the grid, but it's insulated from it.[6] The suit is also coded to work with the Satellite Armor.[6]
On a surface level, this armor possesses all the standard abilities of a regular War Machine Armor. It provides Rhodes with superhuman strength, enabling him to lift up to 100 tons. The armor can fly at supersonic speeds up to Mach 2 using its jet boots. The armor's sytems are operated using a cybernetic link to Rhodes himself and they include a targeting computer, radar and environment sensors and a sophisticated subspace/satellite radio communication array, which can also detect local radio signals. The suit's computer displays can be projected from the armor using holographic generators, which can be presumably reconfigured to alter the armor's appearance. The armor is specially coated to resist radar detection and targeting locks. The armor also contains life support systems, including an hour's worth of air supply and can be sealed for space and underwater travel.[7] The suit possesses a vulnerability against electromagnetic pulses, which completely shut it down.[8]
Offensive Capabilities[]
The suit possesses blasters on its gauntlets, and a gatling gun and a rocket launched mounted on each shoulder. Additional cannons can extend from the shoulders, the pectorals, the hips and the abdomen, as well as a unibeam from the chest.[9][6] The suit is equipped with a variety of projectile weapons, including repulso rays, pulse bolts, sonic generators, mini-guns, flash bombs, incendiary bombs, and missiles. The unibeam can project virtually every light spectrum (visible, infrared and ultraviolet), a laser beam and an EMP generator that can shut down electronic devices within a 50-yard radius (the armor can reboot itself within minutes).[10] On one occasion, the shoulder-mounted blaster has been modified to fire rounds of the S.P.I.N. power neutralizer darts.[11] The armor's right gauntlet and left kneeguard possess retractable steel knives.[1]
Defensive Capabilities[]
The armor affords Rhodes a significant protection from physical attacks, and includes a personal force field. The armor also possesses defenses against telepathic attacks.[6] The suit can absorb vast quantities of radiation and other energies, and has managed to withstand the detonation of a Super-Skrull that possessed the combined powers of the U-Foes at point blank.[2] The suit can release the absorbed energy through its repulsor or unibeam emitters.[10]Notes
- The numerical designation provided in this article for this suit is tentative, based on an estimate of the number of models of the War Machine Armor that have existed.
- Due to this armor's debut and prominent appearances in Avengers: The Initiative, it is commonly referred to as the "Initiative Armor."
See Also
- 24 appearance(s) of War Machine Armor Model 3
- 1 minor appearance(s) of War Machine Armor Model 3
- 1 mention(s) of War Machine Armor Model 3
- 26 image(s) of War Machine Armor Model 3
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #34
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #35
- ↑ Avengers: The Initiative #1
- ↑ Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #33–35
- ↑ Dark Reign: New Nation #1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #33
- ↑ All-New Iron Manual #1
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Venom (Vol. 4) #30
- ↑ Avengers: The Initiative #11
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Iron Manual Mark 3 #1
- ↑ Avengers: The Initiative #3
- ↑ Venom (Vol. 4) #28